LETTER: Gun Owners Need Training

March 20, 2013

The nation's Founders knew that citizens needed to protect themselves, their families and their fellow citizens from the threat of violence and the threat of tyranny. Indeed, they felt it was the obligation of citizens to do so.

They had a proper respect for their weapons and the lethality and finality of their use. They showed no lack of forsight in the inclusion of the phrase "well regulated" in the Second Amendment. They knew that in order to defend our rights to life and liberty effectively, proper training was required.

Citizens of the "militia" cited by the Second Amendment needed to be trained to care for their guns, use them, secure them safely and respond appropriately in dangerous situations: The right to bear arms should "not be infringed" but without appropriate training, law-abiding citizens are a threat to our security.

The level of training must be commensurate with the complexity and lethality of the weapon. Imagine how much safer we would all feel if we could be confident that the "law-abiding" citizens with guns actually knew how and when to use them.